Rapid transit system



July 25, 1939. J. a. s'rRAuss 2,167,034 1mm TRANSIT SYSTEII 7 Filed Nov. 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet- 1 FIG. I.

-INVENTOR:

JOSEPH B. STRAUS ATTORNEY.

July 25, 1939. J. B. STRAUSS 2,167,034

RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM Filed Nov. 50, 19:57 S Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: JOSEPH B. STRAUSS ATTORNEY y 1939. J. B. STRAUSS RAPID- TRANSIT SYSTEM Filed Nov. 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 5.

'IIIII INVENTOR:

JOSEPH B. STRAUSS ATTORNEY.

Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED sTATEES PATENT FoFFicEE RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM" .Joseph B. Strauss,.San Francisco, Calif.; .An-

nette Strauss, John Sparks, and Henry C. Clauscn executors of said Joseph B. Strauss, deceased Application November 30, 1937, Serial No. 177,215

2 Claims. (01. 105-176) This invention relates to improvements "in sitions of the traction truck parts in rounding a rapid transit systems and more particularly to curve.

vehicles therefor. Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticplan view of one of the Among theobjects of'the invention is to protraction trucks for supporting. the body of the vide vehicles of the motorbus or motortruck types, vehicle and the manner'of steering the vehicle. .5

adapted to interchangeableoperation upon high- Fig. l is a side elevation of the same. Way pavements, city streets, and/or-railway road- Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section through beds. the wheel mounting (see VV, Fig. 4)

Another object is to provide means whereby Fig. 6 is an "enlarged: detail in vertical section 11) such vehicles may be automatically steered by the taken along theline VI-VI in Fig. 5 showing rails of railways when operating thereon. the wheel suspension, with the hydi'opneumatic Another object is to so arrange the steering cylinder partially in vertical section. means that the manual 'or automatic steering In detail, the construction illustrated in the means may be selectively used according to the drawings, referring first to Fig. 1, comprises a 1 15 roadway upon which the vehicle is being operated. motorbus having any desirable type of body I, .15

reversed.

Another object is to arrange the steering means vestibuled or not as at 2. The body I is prefso that the vehicles may be selectively steered erably mounted upon two four wheel trucks A from either end to avoid the necessity of turning and B, located at the front and rear ends rethe whole vehicle when the direction of travel is spectively. These trucks are alike and are cross connected for manual steering in synchronism; 20 Another object is to so construct and arrange for that reason one truck only will be described the vehicle that a plurality of such vehicles can in detail, the same reference numerals being be coupled together and operated in train formaused on duplicated parts with the addition of the tion, or uncoupled and each unit operated sepprime sign on the parts of the one truck.

. arate1y While twofour wheel trucks, as shown, are pre- 25 Another object is to provide for driving and ferred for heavy traflic, a pair of two wheel trucks steering the traction wheels individually but in or one four wheel truck is equally operative for synchronism with each other, either manually or the lighter types of vehicles. by the automatic control of pilot trucks engag- Each of the traction wheels is provided with '30 ing the railway rails as desired. the conventional pneumatic truck tire, such as 1 Another object is to cause the body of a driven 4, 5, 6, and 1. Each wheel is journaled on a or trailing vehicle to automatically steer its supconventional steering knuckle, as at 8, is, It], and porting truck or trucks. I I. These steering knuckles are vertically pivoted Another object is to steer the wheels of a vein the yoke brackets 8, 9, l0, and i l swiveled '35 hicle so that all the wheels on the same side will in the ends of the independe t Suspensions arms b tangential t th Same I2, l3, l4, and I5 respectively pivoted on the A further object is to provide independent remain frame It, as at ll, l8, l9, and 2%. (See silient suspension or springing for each wheel of Fig. 6.) These pi o-l e mounted jacent their thevehicle. (See patent issued to Hirschler, enespect ve cylinders 2l,'22,-23, and 24 that are in- 40 titled Hydropneumatic suspension systems,-No. tegral with the main frame. Each pivot has an 40 1,934 764, d t d Nov, 14, 1933, and assigned to me. arm 25 thereon bearing under the bottom of a Other objects and advantages will appear as Plston 5 that 15 SpTlng depressed Wlthm'the the description .progresses cylinder, whereby the oil Within the piston and In this specification and the accompanying cylinder is displaced against air pressure main- I tained Within the sump 2"], whereby road shockj 5 5 g igg ghfi g g g g L ifigg ii g gz i against any of the Wheels is absorbed by its pneumatic oil suspension. For further particulars see not hmlted to thls form because It may be the Hirschler patent above referred to bodied in modifications within the purview of the This type of hydropneumatic susfiension is Clams followmg the merely-suggestive. The conventional spring sus- 5 In the three Sheets of drawmgs: pension common to automotive practiceis equal- 1 is a Side elevation of a mummy of motor ly applicable in accomplishing the same object. b 8 C p together and Operable in accord" To maintain the caster pin of the steering ance with this invention. knuckle substantially .vertical,'.the radius.rod'8" 455 Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating therelative po- .is vpivotedat1.9";onotheitruckL-frame. '.The.' op-,

posite end of the radius rod is pivoted on the bracket 8 having the yoke supporting the steering knuckle.

The wheels are driven in pairs by their respective shafts 28, 29 having the universal joints 30, 3I, 32, and 33 interposed therein. The inner ends of other universal joints such as 36 are interposed betw'eemthe outer ends of these shafts and their respective wheels to enable independent steering of the wheels as later described. These shafts are driven by their respective differential gearing within the housings 34 and 35. differential is driven by a. pinion on the shaft of the motors 40 and M respectively. In this manner the several wheels are independently suspended for free action vertically within the limits of the shock absorbing means, such as the cylinders 2I24; and each wheel is capable of independent steering through the steering knuckles 8II respectively.

The main frames I6 and I'B' have the central king pins 42 and 43 respectively, with the concentric fifth wheel turntables 44 and 45 registering with similar turntables on the body I to permit the trucks A and B to track in rounding turns in the roadway. (SeeFig, 2.) I

.The several steering knuckles 8- have the steering arms 46, 41, 48, and 49 with the pivotal links 50, 52, and 53 engaging the steering pivots'54 fixed to the under side of the body at its opposite ends and eccentric to the kingpins 42 for causing the multiple wheels to turn with any change of direction of the body I. The placement of the steering pivots 54 with respect to the steering knuckles 8-II is determined by the wheel base of the trucks and the length of the body I to negotiate any desired radius of curve. The lengths of the steering arms 46-49 can be proportioned to give the desired ratio of leverage to cause all the wheels on the same side to travel tangentially to the same arc, as in railway practice, which facilitates turning and reduces tire wear.

To show the adaptability of this invention: The vehicle is equipped with traction trucks at each end in tandem, but in vehicles with a relatively short wheel base, one extended truck chassis with but four wheels to the vehicle will operate with even greater facility because of the simplified manual steering gear.

Thewheels are normally alined with the longitudinal centers of their respective truck frames I6 and I6; when these trucks are turned right or left on their respective king pins 42 and 43, the links 50-53 cause the wheels to synchronously turn with respect to the main frames I6 and. I6 and the body I. V These main frames I6 and I6 are manually steered from either end of the body I, by means of the oblique link 63 pivoted at 66 and 61 on their respective truck frames I6 and I6, to cause the trucks A and B to turn in unison in rounding a turn when either truck is turned. The extensions 64 and '65 of the drag link 63 are pivoted to their respective steering levers 68 and 68 respectively pivoted at 69 and 69 on the opposite ends of the body I, and oscillated by a steering column, not shown, which may be transferred from. one end of the'body I to the other. When the steering wheel columnis turned manually in either direction, the drag links 64 and 55 cause the trucks A and B to respond accordingly when traveling on the highway.

When the motorbus is traveling upona'tdual traffic way provided with treadways X combined Each with the rails X of a railway constructed in accordance with my copending application entitled Railways, bearing Serial Number 133,600, filed March 29, 1937, the steering is automatically accomplished by retractable pilot trucks engaging the railway rails. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) These trucks have the flanged wheels ll-II fixed on the axle 'I2 journaled in the brackets 13-73 pivoted to the truck frames I6 and I6 at 74. These pilot trucks cause the supporting traction trucks A and B to follow the rails X of the railway independent of the manual steering gear previously described, the turning of the truck frames causing the traction Wheels to respond to the cross linkages 5ll-53.

When the leading truck A in the train is steered, either manually or by the link 65, or

automatically by the pilot truck I3, the cross link 63 swings the second truck B on its king pin 42. The steering pivot 54, being fixed on the body of the coach I, is independent of and cocentric to the king pin 42; therefore the swing of the second truck B, acting through the links 5Il53,'will cause the truck wheels 4-6 to aline with the arc of the curve as the train swings arounda turn, whereby the wheels are steered by. the relative movement between the truck B and the body I, or vice versa, depending upon whether the train is standing or in motion. The same is true whichever direction the coach or train is moving. All truck wheels being similarly linked to the body of the supported body, all wheels on the same side of the coach or train will assume positions tangential to the samearc of the turning curve, see Figs. 2, 3. The direction of travel is selective; but the steering of the succeeding wheels is automatic and synchronous with whichever truck, A or B, is selected as the leader.

To remove accumulations of snow or sand from the treadways X, the oblique scrapers 'I5'I5 are fixed to the opposite brackets 13 todeflect the obstruction from the treadways. To further clear the treadways and insure tractive efficiency, the rotary brushes 16-16 are fixed to the opposite ends of the axle I2 and revolve therewith to sweep the top surfaces of the treadways X clean.

The spindles l8 threaded in the brackets IS on the truck frame and, engaging the lugs 80 on the adjacent suspension arms, provide means for lifting the Wheels for changing a tire, provided the remaining tires on the truck are inflated.

These motor vehicles are preferably powered with Diesel-electric drive which may be mounted in the side of the body I as indicated at IT in Fig. 1. The electric power from the motor generator set is wired to the several electric motors 4i! and 4I. It is obvious, however, that electric power may be derived from the conventional trolley systerns; or mechanical power may be transmitted from the prime mover of the tractive elements through the transmission gearing common to motor trucks, without departing from the spirit.

of the invention.

The construction and operation of motor-generator sets for the electrical propulsion of ships and land vehicles is well known to those skilled in the art, for that reason non-essential details have been omitted from the present disclosure, since the type of propulsion for the present purpose is optional.

In the interest of clarity in this disclosure, specific braking means is omitted and a simple form of mechanical manual steering is schematically shown.- It is proposed,however,.to use hydraulic, electric, or other suitable means for power steering the vehicles because of their weight and high speed, to relieve the driver from fatiguing physical effort and insure greater safety of operation.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A plurality of vehicles coupled together in train formation, each vehicle having a body; vertical king-pins at each end of said bodies respectively; a pair of tandem trucks under each body each having a frame engaging said kingpins respectively; a draglink having its opposite ends pivoted to the right and left sides of said trucks respectively; a plurality of traction wheels mounted upon steering knuckles on said trucks respectively; steering pivots on said bodies adjacent and eccentric to each of said king-pins respectively; links engaging said pivots and extending to each of said steering knuckles respectively, whereby the supporting wheels are automatically steered by the lateral turning of the said body which they support; and means for swinging the front truck of the leading vehicle upon its respective king-pin.

2. A vehicle having a body; vertical king pins at each end of said body respectively; a pair of tandem trucks each having a frame engaging said king pins respectively; a draglink having its opposite ends pivoted to the right and left sides of said trucks respectively; a pilot truck on the leading truck frame and adapted to engage a guide rail on the road supporting said truck; steering knuckles on each of said trucks; a traction wheel mounted upon each of said knuckles; steering pivots on said body adjacent and eccentric to each of said king pins respectively; links engaging said pivots and extending to each of said steering knuckles respectively; whereby the wheels on the other truck are steered in synchronism with the wheels on the truck being steered by said pilot truck.

JOSEPH B. STRAUSS. 

